Prospect Spotlight: Damon Erickson (2021 Clackamas)

Jed Tai April 30, 2021 @ 01:04 AM

The star attraction from last year’s team may be gone but there’s plenty of firepower left at Clackamas for this year. [player_tooltip player_id="965073" first="Damon" last="Erickson"] was one of the supporting cast members for [player_tooltip player_id="606247" first="Ben" last="Gregg"] last year but the 6-foot-3, 185-pound combo guard is ready to step up his game. The senior put in the work into his game and his body this off-season, one in which he stepped up to the challenges that everyone faced. "You’ve got to find ways, you’ve got to dig deep - it shows how much you really want it," Erickson said. "I’ve been able to get into some open gyms here and there, but other than that it’s been hard to stay in shape. I’ve been in the gym lifting weights since last April and that’s the one good thing that I’ve had. I’ve gotten way stronger this off-season. I’ve gotten way bigger and more athletic, and I’m finishing around the bucket better." Erickson has always had the ability to shoot the ball and create his own shot. But the increase in his athleticism is noticable. In a recent workout we saw at Clackamas, Erickson was easily getting to the basket and dunking the ball with ease. His hope is that the added strength and athleticism will catch the attention of college coaches this season. Erickson, who boasts a 3.2 GPA, has heard a bit from schools such as NAIA program Antelope Valley to Western Oregon all the way up to some feelers from Washington State and Pepperdine. He’s looking at anything and everything at this point. "I want to play at the best fit and the one that’s best for me and my family," Erickson said. "I’m open to anything in my recruiting. Hopefully I’ll have a big senior year to get out more film. My film from last year I was way smaller. In a whole year you change so much, so hopefully I can get my name out more and more and keep getting on the radar." With that said, Erickson has his sights set on this year - one in which the Cavs will feature plenty of experience. "We have six, seven seniors even with Ben leaving so we’re a pretty old group," Erickson said. "So if we come together we can have a really good season." Erickson currently ranks as the #37 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.